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[Dronin]

I think many people don't see one of largest negative impacts bots have on our economy is that they cause mega inflation. Did you know you could get a hamburger from Mickey D's for just 10 cents in the past? The fact that they are now over $1 is due to inflation. Bringing in more zeny (or items/loots sold to npc's for zeny) into the game causes inflation over time, much the same way it does IRL. Let me explain: More currency being introduced devalues what currency currently exists. I'll use the "gold standard" that was once used once upon time in the U.S. to make it easy to understand (even though, yes I know, the gold standard doesn't exist anymore, but inflation still does. This is just for simplicity's sake). Let's say Prontera Bank has 10,000 gold bars. This is what gives your zeny value, it's worth something that has a limited supply. Let's say each gold bar is worth 100k zeny, and that plate armor you want costs exactly 100k, so one gold bar. When bots come in and start farming items they plan to vend straight to npc's, this brings zeny into the world that did not exist before. Before we go any further let's recognize something- we stated Pron bank has 10,000 total gold bars, ea bar is worth 100k zeny, so that's enough to cover 1,000,000 zeny. With me so far? When bots introduce massive amounts of zeny into the game (let's say they earn 1mil zeny, for simplicity sake) this has a damaging effect. Those gold bars have to change in value to be able to represent the total zeny in existence. So now there's 2mil in the world but the same amount of gold, so now instead of each bar being worth 100k zeny, it's worth 200k, double the price. Now back to that plate armor that used to cost 100k. The player that was selling that plate armor doesn't want to lose out, he was planning to spend his zeny and cash out for the gold bars. Before, he could sell his plate armor for 100k to someone, then go to the bank and trade it for a gold bar. However, now, he can only get half a gold bar for the same armor he's selling...wth happened? So now he has to sell his armor for 200k instead, just to get what he deserved to get in the first place.

Ok ok so whew...I know you're asking- that makes sense, but Prontera doesn't have a bank with gold bars... much the same way, the U.S. no longer does this either. Nothing changes though. The money is only worth what people agree it is worth. The more in existence, the more the current zeny in existence devalues. We don't have a Prontera bank with gold reserves, but it doesn't matter, it causes the same negative effect- prices of gear that has a limited supply slowly goes up in price. People may think "Well so what? That's awesome! My white drooping Eddga Hat is worth even more now!" No, sorry, it really isn't. If the price of everything in the market goes up as well in relation, your hat isn't really worth any more, it just has a higher price. The only thing that doesn't change is what npc's vend. The price stays the same. This also seems like a good thing, right? Sorry, wrong again. IRL, the price of EVERYTHING goes up when inflation happens, as well as wages. The fact that "wages" in IRO (how nubs make their first zeny by selling to npc's) has NOT gone up since forever is a huge problem. NPC prices for buying and selling need to rise to match inflation. The fact that they have not is what has caused the huge gap between new players and veterans. New players can't earn 100's of millions of zeny to keep up, no way. Impossible. They might be able to get leveled and start doing instances, but will be hard pressed to ever get Best in Slot gears...unless... here's the bombshell- unless they spend IRL $ to get KP or WPE to sell on the market for zeny. Why do you think WP doesn't fix the inflation problem, or why it's ok to sell KP (which really there is nothing wrong with)? Because new players want this gear to play, so WP gets paid to provide something the player can't realistically get by themselves. Everyone's happy, but it's effed up really. The new player has to pay real $ to sell WPE for zeny, because selling loots is not in any way a viable way to get any end game gear.

Let me also address this issue- Players will bring in more zeny much the same way bots are. Selling to npc's brings zeny into the game, bot or not. However, players that bring zeny do so at a REGULAR rate, and they also consume it at a REGULAR rate. This is very important. Bots for one DO NOT bring it in at a regular rate, neither do they consume it the same way. They bring it in faster than players are able to, and don't bother spending it on things like consumables as much as players do (they're there to make zeny after all, not spend it) Players will sink zeny back into the market, or take it completely out of circulation by buying from npc's. This is healthy. What many of bots do, however, is what causes rapid acceleration of inflation and imbalances the economy in a bad way. Many of you may argue we wouldn't have the consumable we need to play, but is that worth wrecking the economy, driving new players away because good gears cost billions, and eventually causing the death of our server??? I think not.

Edited by Dronin, 18 July 2017 - 08:16 PM.

[progz]

I totally agree. The devs need to do something about the bots on the official servers. I pay for VIP... and for what? I'm playing with a bunch of cheaters.